Or just trying to get a hold of a gun or coming across one in a Mystery. Perhaps they decide to attempt sneaking into a facility. I don't know about you, but I'd sure want a gun for just in case reasons. Or if they come across a gun somehow, like in a home or at a sheriff's office. Would they take it? Or even know how to use it? I think any item is fair game if it helps further the story.

I'm good with the Kids getting ahold of guns, by the way. I posed the question but I personally have no qualms with it. My default game is "Call of Cthulhu", so the players always want guns. It's the adventures where the Keeper gives you total access to guns that are the ones you have to REALLY worry about.

Yep, totally get wanting to fend off Lovecraftian critters with a gun for sure. Since the game does mention guns as a special item, I'd lean toward allowing them, but sparingly and only if the Mystery called for it. If a player is dead set on having an item that you don't think they need for the Mystery, well... search locations all they want, if that item is not there, no amount of successful rolls is going to magically will it into being, right? It's a bit of railroading, sure, but it's also keeping control of the game. Hopefully if players are kept from deadly weapons, it'll hit home a bit more when they do get access to one that crap is about to go down, as you pointed out with CoC.

"What matters most is how well you walk through the fire." - Charles Bukowski

The scenario in my head was more like... They find a gun in a sheriff's office, but it's locked in the weapons cage and the key is no where to be found (possibly the sheriff, etc has it). There's nothing they can use to break the lock, since it's built into the cage door and nothing to use to pick the lock. So.. there's the guns, but no way to use them.

"What matters most is how well you walk through the fire." - Charles Bukowski

My impression of Swedish culture is that there are many more guns than here. Much like America. Unlike America, they tend to the hunting rifles but even here I've had access to shotguns and air rifles.

What's the status of Army Cadet forces? We have them here. It would be a sub-class of "Jock" I guess.

(I just thought of a mechanic for Classes. Each class as a Bonus and a Condition but it isn't a dice roll or a +1 or anything. e.g A Military Jock may be reasonably expected to read a map or deal with an assault course or even know how to rebuild a weapon. But they may be susceptible to following orders. A Hockey Jock may have the same sort of advantage, running on average quicker and being on average stronger without checks needing made but gets Guilt if he leaves a team member behind etc.)

My impression of Swedish culture is that there are many more guns than here. Much like America. Unlike America, they tend to the hunting rifles but even here I've had access to shotguns and air rifles.

What's the status of Army Cadet forces? We have them here.

Depends on where "here" is. In Sweden, hunting rifles and shotguns are rather common in the countryside. Kids can join the Home Guard Youth or the Airforce Youth at 15 and learn to shoot with a Mauser bolt action rifle. They aren't allowed to keep the rifles at home.

My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos, ruined dreams, this wasted land.

Depends on where "here" is. In Sweden, hunting rifles and shotguns are rather common in the countryside. Kids can join the Home Guard Youth or the Airforce Youth at 15 and learn to shoot with a Mauser bolt action rifle. They aren't allowed to keep the rifles at home.

Ah ok - it's reasonable to assume youngsters might have experience with a bolt action rifle and an Everyday Life event with Trouble could be stealing their Dads rifle in preparation for a Showdown.

Ah ok - it's reasonable to assume youngsters might have experience with a bolt action rifle and an Everyday Life event with Trouble could be stealing their Dads rifle in preparation for a Showdown.

Would the islands be considered the countryside?

What's your speculation on what the kids on the cover are holding?

At least some kids in the countryside would have some knowledge on how to use a rifle or shotgun.

The islands are countryside, but it is more likely that farmers' kids have access to hunting rifles and shotguns than the kids who live in the villages and towns.

Hmm... From left to right: looks like the metal detector mentioned in "Tales From the Loop", (bike), some sort of thingamajig not seen anywhere else (magnetrine disc defluxer?), snow pole (marking the sides of the road in winter to make it easier for the snow plow to see where the road is - in the pic, it looks like the PVC tube variety, and not the plastic film-covered bamboo version).

My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos, ruined dreams, this wasted land.

Items - those inanimate objects that keep the Kids safe from danger. They can range from skateboards to speed away/to a strange event, baseball bats to club a dinosaur or tool kits to fix a malfunctioning robot. The Iconic Items stay with the Kids for ever but the more mundane things break or are lost at the end of a session.

• What kind of Items are appealing to us? Do we get addicted to the Hallucinatory Softdrinks? Does a Time Machine give us too much power?

• How do we feel about the loss of Items? It makes sense mechanically (so Kids don't become hoarders with 20 x different Items cluttering up the sheet) but does it make sense to lose a Trained Dog that we spend an entire session taming? How does one just lose a Pirate Costume? Should there be an alternate method (Items get stored in a Trunk) so we can revisit these at a later date?

• Are there Items that should be off-limits? We don't want Kids running around with Guns....or do we?

I'd let them keep items as rewards, but as they are not iconic they could be broken or lost, so say could be lost if you screw up, your trained dog could get eaten instead of you, (maybe he sprang to your defence) damn raptors, poor fido.
I am thinking of adding a system so you can sacrifice an item of gear (not dogs) in exchange of damage to the kid